


I once mistook the sea for a lake

by StarMagister



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Just a whole lot of tender feelings, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Selkie Hermes, Selkies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-22
Packaged: 2021-03-25 03:08:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30082548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarMagister/pseuds/StarMagister
Summary: Hermes is a selkie who has fallen in love with a human.After spending almost an entire year getting to know Charon in his seal form, Hermes decides that he wants to spend time with the reclusive boatman as a human as well.With the bare minimum of plans he ends up half naked and freezing on Charon's doorstep. Ready to start their new life together.Charon is worried for this idiot who appeared out of nowhere... It must be a coincidence that he hasn't seen his seal friend when Hermes showed up.(A Finnish selkie AU that I made for myself)
Relationships: Charon/Hermes (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 27
Kudos: 71





	1. Saimaan saaressa pikkuinen torppa

\---

Soft sounds of water could be heard as a rowboat cut gently through the water. Oar splashing the water as it broke through the surface. A familiar sound to Hermes, something he was used to and always looked forward to hearing again.  
His gentle human was once again making a trip to some part of the lake, perhaps fishing, or simply enjoying the quiet. Hermes couldn't say that he understood why his human liked to row so much, but he hoped Charon was looking for him.

Hermes wasn't a patient creature. Whenever his human decided to head to the lake, it didn't take long before he was trailing the boat or climbing nearby rocks to see him. He had tried to climb into the boat once or twice, but the quiet boatman didn't appreciate almost capsizing his vessel. Pushing his head back into the water and lifting his small fin-like hands off the sides. Only returning Hermes’ whines and snorts with a stern look and a shake of his head in disbelief.

It was easy to follow the boat, since it wasn't one of those loud motorized ones. Hermes simply dove after it, poking his head up to breathe and look at his solemn human.  
He was wearing a hat and tinted glasses again, hiding those captivating eyes from Hermes. He loved looking at Charon, could spend hours simply watching the human do chores or smoke cigarettes while reading in a chair on his lawn. And for a while now, he had done just that.

His human wore the hat more often than not, the wide brim now immediately recognizable to the selkie. And it had always been odd to see him without it. His human had fallen asleep on a chair one summer afternoon, hat on the ground next to him.  
Hermes had crawled out of the water, inspecting the hat and the small baubles sewn on to it, before whining loudly to wake the human up. The boatman had simply laughed at Hermes, offered a few gentle pats, before he placed his hat back on his head and promptly fell back asleep to continue his nap. Hermes had thought his human would shoo him away, but he was allowed to spend the rest of the afternoon by his side.

It was getting chillier again, the colorful leaves on trees having already mostly fallen, so Charon had to wear warmer clothes if he still wanted to enjoy the soft waves of the lake. It was also too cold for the human to nap on the shore again, so the selkie only saw less and less of his precious Charon.

Hermes wasn't ready for winter, to leave his lonely human for many moons while a thick sheet of ice covered the lake. And more specifically the beach his boatman lived by.

They had known each other for a long time now, many days spent in each other's company. Sharing food, enjoying the summer heat and listening to music.  
Sometimes the boatman was building something, sometimes making food outside, maybe hanging up laundry. Whatever his human did Hermes wanted to be there with him.

He always wanted to see that gentle smile again or hear his raspy laugh. He would do anything to wipe away the sad looks. Hermes wanted to stay with Charon, to keep him company and make him happy.  
After a short trip on the lake Charon returned to his beach, pulling the boat to the shore. He hadn't stopped anywhere. It wasn’t unusual, but most of the time he went rowing with a purpose… maybe today was a bad day?

Hermes climbed up a ramp attached to the wooden dock, that his boatman had built for him. A few fallen pine needles tickling his thick hide and crunching pleasantly against the wood.

Once Hermes had pulled himself up to rest on the dock, he noticed Charon signing to him. The selkie didn't really understand what the human was trying to tell him, other than what he assumed were signs for either friend or seal... or perhaps it was a name Charon had given to him.

In any case, Hermes happily bellowed back at his love. Letting out sounds that could be classified as snorts and whines, but Charon didn’t mind the odd way the seal showed him love. He simply smiled at the ringed seal who had been following him on his small rowing trip.

Hermes didn't know why Charon couldn't talk, and it was really a shame that he didn't understand the signs just as well as he understood spoken language. How he wanted to know what the boatman was telling him the rare times he did sign to Hermes.

Only reason he even knew the boatman’s name was because of other humans that sometimes visited the little house. One black haired man visited the most, usually bringing fish with him that he shared with Charon and on occasion with Hermes.  
He had seen the cheerful man before on the lake. Spending many mornings fishing, something that didn’t seem to fit his personality but obviously loved.

The smell of fish had attracted Hermes back to the shore one afternoon, assuming that his human had caught something and was preparing it. A perfect time to visit. When he had reached the surface he saw an unfamiliar man at the shore.  
“Oho! Asuuks täällä norppa?” The new dark haired man with mismatching eyes looked alarmed when he noticed the seal several meters away from the dock.

Hermes retreated back deeper into the lake, wary of the new human. Loud humans were usually bad news.  
“Hey, Charon! I think there is a ringed seal here?” The black haired man turned around, yelling to the direction of the house. Did he know Hermes’ human?  
Not long after the familiar tall man walked outside, holding a pan under his arm as he signed something to the new human.

“Oh, okay. I think it smelled the fish… Is it against the law to give it one of them? That’s an endangered species right?” The visitor looked back at Hermes who was still staying well away from the shore and dock.  
The boatman simply shrugged as he went to sit down on the chairs around the firepit.

“Wow Charon, you have a seal living on your property and you didn’t even check this stuff.” The black haired man laughs, picking up one of the smaller fish and throwing it into the water close to Hermes.  
“Just gonna leave him a little snack, since there is enough for us.” He picked up the bucket with the rest of the cleaned fish and went to...Charon. Hermes ate the roach that was offered to him and climbed on a rock close to the dock. Watching Charon and the visitor talk and eat, noticing them watching him bask on occasion.

Hermes very often wanted to ask his human to come closer to him, since his own movement on land was very cumbersome. Well, at least when he was a seal.

But truth be told, Hermes wasn't sure if Charon would like him if he knew what kind of a creature Hermes actually was. It was different for a human to love what they assumed was a normal animal... but a selkie? He didn't know, and for a while now had been afraid to find out.  
Alas, Hermes was also a greedy creature. Whether it was stealing fish from the humans or getting pets from his boatman, he always wanted more. And his heart soon couldn't take it anymore as he thought about the upcoming winter and separation from his boatman. He was selfish and wanted more.

He was sure Charon would be nice to him no matter his form... but could Charon love him back? Would he want to spend time with him if he was a human? There must have been a reason for the man to live alone, far away from other humans.

Hermes watched the tall boatman start a fire in a pit he had built over the summer, heart missing beats and doing flips as he once again mulled over his options.  
It wasn't the first time he had considered just shedding his skin and running to his human. Though he still knew there was a chance that it wouldn't end well.

The rest of that afternoon was like many other days they had shared. Both relaxing on the beach, until hunger made them separate. And that hurt Hermes the most. He did not want to see Charon go, he wanted to go to the little house with him. But he couldn't, as long as he was a seal.  
He couldn't help it, he loved Charon with his entire being.

Leaving his skin behind and taking his human form permanently seemed more and more appealing as weeks went by. There weren't a lot of beings like him in these waters in the first place, aside from his family. And while animals were good company, Hermes wanted more to be with his human.

It was a cold morning when he finally made his decision. The sky was grey, and leaves on the forest floor among the moss were now decomposing. Hermes had found the hiding spot months ago, a small hole under thick roots of a pine tree that was growing over the rocks at the shore. Close enough that he could swim or walk to his boatman's beach, but still far enough that any nosy humans wouldn't find the precious skin.

He rolled the skin up and placed it under the roots. A final goodbye he supposed, unless his human completely rejected him. He couldn’t think like that though. He would do anything for his boatman, and if it meant leaving his skin he will gladly do it.

He climbed back down into the water, which now felt much more cold than before. Everything felt more cold than he realized. His human form is obviously devoid of the thick skin and a layer of fat. Reasons why humans wore so many clothes.  
Still he pushed forward, quickly swimming to the familiar shore and running to the small sauna close to the dock on Charon's yard. He knew his boatman left extra clothes there, along with... blankets of sorts? 

Even when the little sauna wasn't heated at the moment, the dry floorboards felt heavenly on his more sensitive human feet. Running through rocks and pine needles wasn't exactly comfortable. Still, his teeth were clattering as small droplets of lake water fell from his short hair and limbs, breaths coming out as puffs as he tried to stay warm.

He rummaged through cabinets, finding some fabrics that looked like clothes. But everything looked like they were too big for him.  
It might be possible that he never realized how small he was compared to humans. In any case, he used one piece of fabric to dry his hair and skin, getting rid of the ice cold water still chilling his bones. Then pulling a shirt over his head.

It was too big for him, reaching his mid thigh as the arm holes fell down droopily. It was still a better option than to walk outside naked again. Humans didn’t do that.  
Hermes looked up from the little pile of fabrics he had managed to leave on the floor, noticing a mirror on top of a small tabletop, littered with bottles and other things Charon must need.

He had never seen his human face like this before. Reflections on water and ice were usually too unclear to make out details. But here he could even see his eyelashes. The selkie pressed his fingers into his brown hair, pushing it away from his face. Noting that his eyes were also brown, just a different colour.  
His face was very different from Charon’s. Skin light brown, nose wider and rounder. His cheeks puffier and even his lips were bigger than Charon’s. Like they were complete opposites. Though Hermes was fairly sure he wasn’t…. bad looking? Selkies were supposed to be as pretty as nymphs after all, but all that might be just hogwash.

Pushing the last of his hairs behind his ears, Hermes thought that it was finally time to see his boatman. Even when he had no idea what his actual plan was.  
He was sure Charon would be kind to him… but unsure what would happen past that.

The sun was barely up, and even then it was hidden behind grey clouds, making everything look dreary. The damp grass was still uncomfortably cold against his bare feet as he hopped towards the house. Trying to avoid bigger rocks from digging into his soles. The shirt he had on barely helped with the chilly weather.  
He wasn’t confident, possibly way over his head, but he had to follow his heart. So Hermes knocked on the door of the house his beloved human lived in.

His heart was pounding as he waited for any signs of life. Usually Charon woke up early, but what if he had slept longer today? Hermes could wait in the sauna if Charon wasn’t awake… or just go inside? No he’ll wait.  
He knocked on the door again, slightly louder this time. The cold was starting to get to him again, having to wrap his arms around himself to stop shivering so badly. His damp hair was feeling more and more uncomfortable as time passed.

Without much warning the lock on the door clicked and it was opened. Hermes held his breath as Charon appeared from the other side of the door, looking tired and confused.

\---


	2. Kas Längelmä vesi tuolla

\---

Charon woke up to a knock on his front door. He had been dozing as he had nothing important to do that morning… at least he thought so. He checked his phone, no new messages informing him about a surprise visit from his siblings or his neighbors. Even Zagreus had learned to inform him first before barging in, though the kid was mostly harmless anyway.

Could it be the post? Charon doesn’t remember ordering any packages that had to be delivered to his door. That was extremely expensive when he could just pick it up during his weekly shopping trip.  
He heard the knocking again, and he supposed he should get up and answer it. He quietly made his way to the door, not bothering to turn on the lights since he was going to open the blinds soon anyway.

When he opened the door he quickly realized it wasn’t the postman, or any of his neighbors or relatives. A young man in a t-shirt, and only a t-shirt was standing on his porch. Holding himself as he was fighting shivers from the cool November air.

What on earth?

For a moment he looked at the person who he assumed had been knocking on his door, waiting for the short man on his doorstep to say something, before looking out to the yard. No sign of a car or a boat.  
How the hell did this guy get here?  
Was he one of Zagreus’ friends? Though Zagreus wasn’t the type to throw wild parties that left some poor drunk to wander into the woods… or fall into the lake. Was his hair wet?

And was that actually Charon’s shirt?

He didn't have time to ask any of those questions before surprisingly strong arms wrapped around him as the short man hugged him, burying his face against Charon's chest.  
He was freezing, Charon noted as he tried to step back. Finding the entire situation far too confusing for his liking. At least this odd short man didn't seem dangerous. Just cold.

"I- I'm so happy to see you..." Charon heard the man mumble against his chest as he was hugged tighter.  
He should get out of the doorway, the morning chill was getting to him and he could imagine how cold this boy was.  
He pulled the door close as he stepped more inside the house, effectively moving this weird person with him. He really needed some space to ask a few questions... and possibly text Zagreus just for safety.

Maneuvering the stranger was surprisingly easy, what was not was trying to get him to let go of Charon. He seemed to be hellbent on glueing himself against Charon.  
After sending a text to Zagreus asking about a possibly lost friend or a local resident, Charon really wanted to get some pants on this boy.

The fact that he was apparently only wearing one of Charon’s shirts he had left in the sauna, and nothing else, was starting to get uncomfortable. Especially if the stranger insisted on this extremely long hug.

While Charon was busy looking for either a towel or a blanket to throw over the nearly naked man, he heard a soft giggle.  
He noticed that he was being looked at. Big brown eyes were looking up at him, full of what seemed to be joy.

Charon dropped what he was doing and decided it was a good enough time to ask his questions.  
[Are you okay?] He signed, watching the eyes trying to register what he was doing with his hands.

"I'm Hermes?" Said the stranger, clearly hoping that was what Charon had asked him. It was too much to hope that random people would know sign language. Charon let out a deep sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose. It was too early for this.

"Are you upset?" Came a simple question as this Hermes kept still clinging to Charon. He replied with a nod, not bothering to sugarcoat his feelings.

"Oh... I'm sorry." Hermes apologized, loosening his hold as the cheery look on his face faltered. At least it seemed like the short man wasn't doing this maliciously. Last thing he needed right now was to be pranked.  
Charon waved him off, moving away from the hug to pick up more clothes for the stranger.

Everything he owned was too big for Hermes though, maybe he can talk Zag in to borrowing clothes? God he's going to need shoes as well. How did this guy manage to get this far in the middle of nowhere, especially without freezing to death?

Charon found some old sweatpants he hadn't used in a while, but they had working drawstrings so the boy could wear them. Maybe his boxers fit the guy? Jesus, they are going to need to go shopping before talking to the police or something. Otherwise everyone is going to assume Charon kidnapped the boy himself.  
He pulled out a wool sweater as well, a t-shirt was probably not enough in this weather.

He held out the pile of clothes to Hermes who was now standing next to Charon in his bedroom, looking around at all the little decorations the owner of the house had left on the walls. Smiling again when he was given attention, Hermes took the pile of clothes. Running his fingers over the sweater.  
"Do you want me to wear these?" He asked, possibly just as a confirmation not to get the wrong idea.

Charon nodded before stepping out of the room and closing the door, giving the lost man some privacy. This was really not how he imagined his morning would start. He desperately needed some coffee, he was already forming a headache. Should go for a smoke as well.

He was opening the blinds in the living room while a pot of fresh coffee was brewing, when Hermes opened the bedroom door. He looked to be fully dressed this time, which would skip several questions from Zag if he visited today.

Hermes looked like he wanted to ask something as he shuffled awkwardly closer to Charon. Eyes quickly skipping from spot to spot as he took in the interior of the house.  
[Do you want coffee?] Charon signed even as he knew the other man couldn't understand it.

"The clothes are nice? And warm?" Hermes tried to guess again, fingers pulling at the too long sleeves of the knit sweater and showing it off. He really looked like he was drowning in Charon’s clothes, but it must have been preferable than running around with his bare ass out.

Charon let out a tired sigh again, pushing some loose strands of hair that had fallen out of his bun during the night away from his face. He should get dressed as well, can't go out to smoke in his pyjamas without catching a cold.  
He held up a finger to signal Hermes to wait before going past him to the bedroom.

After changing to acceptable day clothes, Charon returned to the living room where Hermes was looking at the framed pictures. Kind of creepy, but what else was he supposed to do without actually going through his stuff?  
Should pick a pen and paper. His unexpected visitor wasn’t going to learn sign language in 30 minutes, no matter how much Charon tried to talk to him.

Zagreus had texted him back, claiming that he had no idea what Charon was talking about. At least he offered to swing by just in case the guy was some cottage owners' relative.

He'll just ask Hermes a few simple questions, and help him back to his family or home... or the authorities.  
This time his visitor turned to look at him as he walked to the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee.  
It was unnerving how Hermes didn't say anything, just kept looking at Charon with those big brown eyes.

He brought a small notepad from the kitchen along with his mug, sitting down on his couch. Might as well get started now, Zagreus can catch up when he arrives.  
Charon set his coffee down as he waved for Hermes to take a seat as well. He didn't have to keep standing there awkwardly.  
He wasn’t sure though if Hermes just standing around was better, compared to how too close for comfort he sat next to Charon.

"What's your full name and how did you get here?" Charon wrote down as legibly as he was able, letting Hermes read the message.

The younger man took his time reading the words over, long enough that Charon almost thought he couldn't read Finnish. Eventually Hermes looked up, clearly mulling something over in his head.  
"I'm Hermes, I just kind of assumed you asked that earlier."

Charon rolled his hand, wanting to actually hear the man's full name. First name was hardly enough to help with identifying who he was.  
Hermes looked at him confused at first before realizing that Charon actually wanted answers for his questions.  
"Oh... Ah, my last name is- J... Järvi? Järvinen! And I... swam here?"

This was the biggest load of bs Charon had heard since Thanatos tried to lie about having a boyfriend. He started scratching down on the paper again. Really just wanting a truthful explanation.

"Do you use drugs, or did someone drug you? Nobody just swims to a cape in the middle of nowhere in November."  
Hermes takes a long time reading the message again, eyes darting from the paper to the tired man next to him. Starting to look more and more like a deer in headlights.

"No? I'm not drugged, and I did swim here. I just... got lost? But I knew your house." Hermes was making less and less sense, but Charon did have to admit that the boy had apparently jumped into the lake at some point.

He rubbed his tired eyes again before taking a sip of the coffee.  
What the hell was he supposed to do with any of this. Hermes wasn’t giving him any info that could be used to help him, and what little he gave was not very helpful.

"Do you have any family I can take you to?" Charon handed the paper to Hermes again, readying himself for another round of evading questions.  
"No! I don't want to go." Hermes blurted out alarmed, quicker than previous answers. "I can't go to my family right now. Please don't kick me out, I have nowhere to go." He leaned closer to Charon, taking a hold of his free arm. Those big puppy dog eyes pleading.

Oh Jesus, what had he gotten himself into?

So, either this kid had ran away from home and gotten very, very far with no money, phone or clothes apparently. Or something actually terrible had happened to him and ended up being dumped somewhere close by.  
Either way, both sounded like terrible situations Hermes obviously didn't want to return to. And Charon wasn’t heartless enough to force him out, especially if he didn't try to steal from him or stab him.

Charon was scratching his head when the doorbell rang. Hermes jumped next to him, surprised by the noise, while Charon casually got up.  
Zagreus must have been dressed and ready to go if he was already here.

"I got here as fast as I could." Zagreus said immediately when the door was opened. His car was in the middle of the large yard with no effort to park it properly.  
"Where's the guy then?" Straight to the point Zag pushed past Charon into the house.

[A greeting would have been nice?] Charon signed after closing the door, but it was clear to him that the black haired young man was in one of his hurricane moods. Not like he had texted that some unknown person was dying or trying to kill him.

Hermes looked alarmed where he still sat on the couch. Moving to the far corner of the furniture as Zagreus stomped further into the house. It was immediately clear that he didn't know Zag.  
"Hey there, I'm Zagreus. I'm Charon's friend." He pointed at Charon with his thumb as he explained to Hermes who he was. "The big guy isn't so good at talking, as you might have noticed, so I came here to make sure everything is alright." Zag offered a big smile, sitting on the opposite end of the couch.

Charon picked up his coffee, saving it from the inevitable end of his neighbor accidentally spilling it, then sat down on an armchair himself.  
Hermes looked over to him and then back to Zagreus, possibly trying to measure if he could trust the other man. It should be fine though, Zagreus didn't even have a single bad bone in him, possibly a successful operation to put golden retriever DNA into a human.

"I'm Hermes and... I got here today? I just don't have nowhere else to go." Hermes tried to explain the situation, sounding still tense and looking reserved. Zagreus nodded and gave a short reply that he kind of understood, then looking over to Charon with extreme confusion.

[Hasn't opened up a lot to me either. No drugs involved. Might have either ran away from home, or something really bad happened to him that left him here with nothing.] He told Zagreus his theories so far, knowing that the whole situation was very sketchy.  
"Do you want me to call the authorities? Maybe the police or social workers can help you out?" Zagreus tried to be as gentle as possible, hoping to find some way to help the poor man.

Hermes didn't seem to like the suggestion, though. Eyes widening he grabbed at his too big sweater, eyes darting between the two locals.  
"No please, I don't-- that isn't-- Please, I don't want to leave." He stammered out, panic creeping into his speech.

"Shh, calm down. We won't contact any authorities if you don't want that. But I don't think you can just crash Charon's place... without asking, you know?" Zagreus quickly tried to calm the brown eyed man, like he would a startled animal. "He doesn't know who you are and neither do I, frankly this is a pretty odd situation."

Zagreus was right, it was a very unusual situation. It was hard to believe Hermes trusted them any more than they trusted him. But Hermes did seem to have more to lose if Charon did decide to drive him to the nearest police station and leave him there.

"No, please. I won't cause any trouble. I promise, I just need some time." Hermes looked like he was on the brink of tears as he looked pleadingly at Charon again. And really, what was Charon supposed to do?  
He needed a smoke.

Charon finished the last of his lukewarm coffee when Zagreus turned to him, this time signing.  
[What do you want to do? Are you letting him stay? Want me to house him for a little bit? Or just call authorities?]  
Charon rubbed his tired eyes, not for the first time and probably not for the last time for the day.

It would be easier for Hermes to go with Zag, at least then he could more easily communicate with someone. But his insistence on not going anywhere might be a problem. Charon had never been anybody's first choice, so why would this short man want to stay with him?  
Maybe Hermes was traumatized by something and preferred to be around someone who was incapable of being loud? He did seem much more timid around Zagreus, compared to the hug he had immediately given Charon.  
No idea what kind of a shitshow it would be to take the poor boy to the police.

[He can stay with me.] Charon let out a deep defeated sigh as he signed. [Maybe in a week or so he wants to talk more, or knows better what to do with his life?]

Zagreus gave him a long look before nodding. "Okay, guess you can stay here with the old man for the time being. But no funny business. I still want to visit my neighbor from time to time." He smiled at the panicky looking man, explaining the situation.  
"And sorry for, you know, just barging in to interrogate you."

[Could have taken off your shoes at least.] Charon huffed, not really angry about it.

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gotta get the plot out of the way, before I can just write cute stuff

**Author's Note:**

> I keep saying I’m not a writer but keep writing stupid stuff...  
> If anybody wants to yell at me or try and find some sketches of this AU, feel free to check out [my twitter](https://twitter.com/Umichill) ([or tungler](https://utane.tumblr.com/))  
> 


End file.
